Dallas Zoo Names Newborn Giraffe After Retired Cowboy ‘Jason Witten’

DALLAS, TX — Jason Witten leaves behind quite the legacy after a 15-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.

His name will be in the Ring of Honor, and in the Hall of Fame in as little as five years.

The Dallas Zoo is getting in on that action, too. On Friday – one day after Witten officially announced his retirement – the zoo revealed the name of its nine-day-old giraffe: Witten.

“We’re shifting from our typical tradition of naming a baby after its native heritage to honor a Texas legend and all around great guy,” Dallas Zoo President and CEO Gregg Hudson said in a release. “Our zookeepers were the first ones to jump on this naming opportunity. We’re all huge fans of Jason, he’s a real role model – on the field and in our community.”

Jason Witten is the Cowboys’ all-time leader in catches and receiving yards, and ended his career on a streak of 235 consecutive games played.

The giraffe bearing his name will make his public debut in the next couple weeks, the zoo said. It hopes the human Witten and his family will be on hand.

Witten the giraffe was born April 18. His father is Tebogo, the father of each of the last four giraffe calves born at the Dallas Zoo. Witten’s mother is Chrystal.

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